view . fall 2014
7
MiaSisicmayhave to journey to someverydarkplaces in
themonthsahead, but shecan still see the light off in the
distance.
Agraduate student inapplied social psychology, Sisic’sPhD
research is focusedoncoping strategiesusedbywomenwhohave
been rapedduring timesof war.
“I focuson the things that peoplemight not find toouplifting,
but they still need tobeaddressed,” saysSisic,whoearnedbothher
undergraduateandmaster’sdegrees atUWindsor. “Therehasn’t been
a lot of psychological researchconductedonwar rape. There’sbeen
a lot onpeace-time rape. And, of the research that hasbeendoneon
war-time rape, littleof it focusesonwomen’s actual experiences.”
Sisicgrewup ina small town inwhatwas still Yugoslavia in the
early1990sduringabitterwar thatwould
eventuallydivideher homecountryalong
ethnicand religious lines. She’ll soon return to
BosniaandHerzegovina to interviewwomen
whowere rapedduring thatwar.While she
expects she’ll hear abhorrently sordiddetails,
herworkwill centreonwhat helped those
victims survive.
“Iwant to focusonwomen’s resilience
rather thanon thenegativeconsequences,”
she says, adding that her dissertationwill also
incorporate someexisting research literatureon thepsychologyof
well-being. “I think itwill behard, but itwill bemore rewarding than if
I had just talkedabout thenegativeconsequences.”
Thereareno reliable statistics forwar-time rape, but it’s estimated
that anywherebetween20,000 to50,000womenwere rapedduring
thewar inBosniaandHerzegovina.With thehelpof a$2,500grant
from theWindsor chapter of theCanadianFederationof University
Women, Sisicplans tomakeat least one trip toSarajevo to interview
15BosnianSerb, BosnianCroat andBosnianMuslimwomen.
Sheanticipates someof thoseparticipantswill bewomenwho
were the subject of “ICame toTestify”, aPBSdocumentarynarrated
byMattDamon thatwasoneof afive-part series called “Women,War
&Peace”. Thefilm focusesonagroupof 16women imprisonedand
repeatedly rapedbySerb-led forces in theBosnian townof Foca.
“Iwent toapre-screeningof thefilmandmetwith someof the
peoplewhoworkedon it,” she said. “They think theycanconnectme
withwomenwhowere rapedduring thewar.”
Sisicexpects thework tobebusyand time-consuming, but she’s
clearlyused tobalancingaheavy load. Besidesher own research,
she’s aprogram facilitator for the sexual assault resistanceeducation
program, a seriesof workshops forwomen that teaches thebest
methods for defending themselves against sexual assault attempts
bymen theyknow. She is alsoa researchassistant onaproject that
is evaluating theBystander Initiative, auniqueprogram that teaches
participantshow toeffectively interveneandprevent sexual assaults
before theyhappen.
Inaddition, Sisicco-ordinates thepsychologydepartment’s
researchparticipant pool, acollectionof about
1,500undergrads inpsychologyandbusiness
whoearnextramarks for participating in
researchprojects.
And, if all that’snot enough, she’s also
president andamember of thenegotiating
team forCUPE4580, theunion that represents
graduateand teachingassistants. She’s
thedepartmental representativeon the
GraduateStudent Society, andpresident of
theUniversityof WindsorCommunityAction
Group,which leads fundraisingdrives for communityorganizations
like theHiatusHousewomen’s shelter, TheWindsorYouthCentreand
Pathway toPotential, ananti-poverty initiative.
Onemight naturallywonder how shemanages tokeep somany
balls in theair at once, but Sisic says she’smadegoodprogresswithall
of her schoolwork.
And if there’sonecommondenominator amongall of her efforts,
it’sher senseof social justiceandagenuinedesire tohelpasmuchas
shepossiblycan tomake theworldabetter place.
“I don’twant theseproblems toexist,” she says. “Iwant to seea
time inmy lifewhenwedon’t need todo this kindof workanymore.
I don’t know if it’spossible tomakeall of thechanges Iwant, but
certainlywecanget toaplacewhere things arebetter formost people,
rather than just a few.”
n
v
AFOCUSONWAR-TIMERAPE
MiaSisic
STUDENT PROFILE
BYSTEPHENFIELDS
“IWANTTOFOCUSON
WOMEN’SRESILIENCE
RATHERTHANONTHE
NEGATIVECONSEQUENCES”
MIASISIC
Opposite:MiaSisic has a strong sense of social justice.
